The PWHL Draft is today, and there will be many storylines to follow. Here's one thing to watch from each of the PWHL's six teams at the 2024 PWHL Draft.
The PWHL Draft is today, and there will be many storylines to follow. Here's one thing to watch from each of the PWHL's six teams at the 2024 PWHL Draft.
Here's one thing to watch from each of the PWHL's six clubs at the 2024 PWHL Draft.
Will PWHL Toronto stick with Hockey Canada products?
It was a significant trend last season with PWHL Toronto that they predominantly selected players with Hockey Canada experience, whether that was at the U-18 level, senior national team, or attending selection camps. There's plenty of them in this draft including Sarah Fillier, Danielle Serdachny, Claire Thompson, Julia Gosling, Kayle Osborne, Jennifer Gardiner, Megan Carter, Raygan Kirk, Alexie Guay, Maggie MacEachern, Alexie Guay, Stephanie Markowski, Abby Moloughney, and Brooke McQuigge, who all have Hockey Canada experience. Will that trend continue? It seems highly likely given the fact PWHL Toronto general manager Gina Kingsbury admitted in a press conference that Toronto does not have scouting staff. It's believed they're the only PWHL team without a scouting staff.
Everything is a question in Minnesota, but their first pick is the biggest
Winny Brodt-Brown was/is PWHL Minnesota's head scout and she and Natalie Darwitz were planning for the PWHL Draft until Darwitz departure. According to sources, Ken Klee, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Mira Julosuo have been planning for the draft behind the scenes for close to a month now. Klee and Julosuo are expected to be running Minnesota's draft table and selections. It was no secret PWHL Minnesota intended to select Ohio State standout and Team USA veteran Cayla Barnes with the third overall pick at the draft. Unless Barnes goes second to Ottawa, any other pick at third overall would be a direct decision made by Klee and his advisors. Any pick selected by Minnesota will be entering an unstable and tumultuous environment where it's now clear there is a Grand Canyon size chasm dividing players, where players will have no idea who they're answering to.
Will Greg Fargo have an impact in New York?
When Greg Fargo became the leading candidate for PWHL New York's coaching vacancy, and then following his hiring, the messaging was clear, the team was hiring a coach, and that hiring wouldn't dictate their first overall selection. It may however, factor into the later rounds. Fargo has coached many players in this draft. Pascal Daoust certainly will look at each choice independently, which is why we should still expect Sarah Fillier to go first despite Fargo's lock tight ties to Serdachny. If, however, Serdachny goes first overall, it won't be because of the hiring of Greg Fargo, it will be because Pascal Daoust believes she's the top prospect available. But as the rounds wear on, familiarity and coach input could certainly play a factor. From Sydney Bard, Allyson Simpson, Kayle Osborne, Dara Greig, and Kaitlyn O'Donohoe, all players Fargo coached last season at Colgate, to former Colgate members Darcie Lappan, Maggie MacEachern, and Noemi Neubauerova, inside knowledge of these players could be discussed.
Will Ottawa use a pick on a goaltender or wait?
PWHL Ottawa made a contract offer to bring Sandra Abstreiter back to the city. Most believe it will be Abstreiter's best, and perhaps only offer that involves playing time in the league this season, but she didn't accept...yet. Abstreiter is interested in testing free agency, but that's a waiting period Ottawa may not, and likely should not adhere to. Ottawa will have a plethora of goaltending options available, with a few of them being clear upgrades over Abstreiter. 2023 NCAA Goaltender of the Year and 2024 First Team All-American and Team USA netminder Gwyneth Philips is one, as is Czechia starter Klara Peslarova. Ottawa product and Team Canada member at the 2023 Rivalry Series Kayle Osborne is another option, as is reigning NCAA national champion and Hockey Canada prospect Raygan Kirk. If Ottawa drafts a goalie, it probably means Abstreiter will have lost her crease position and will need to win it back as Ottawa's third if she chooses to return.
Does Montreal use the same model as last season?
Last season Montreal leaned almost exclusively on an analytics model from Mikael Nahabedian to decide their draft. It provided very mixed results. If they follow Nahabedian's rankings he posted publicly last season, the top players available in their minds, in order, will be Danielle Serdachny, Noora Tulus, Sarah Fillier, Ronja Savolainen, Amanda Kessel, Hannah Bilka, Julia Gosling, Cayla Barnes, Sara Hjalmarsson, Megan Carter, Daniela Pejsova, Jennifer Gardiner, and Claire Thompson. Last year Montreal had some certain hits in the draft, but also had significant depth issues, at least in the eyes of their coaches as evidenced by the disparity in playing time distributed in the PWHL postseason.
Can Boston find a balance of speed and veteran experience?
PWHL Boston wants scoring, they want veterans, they want proven impact. This is a definition that leads to pros from across the globe. Boston also desperately needs an upgrade to their team speed. Can they have it both? Looking at the veteran options out there like Claire Thompson, Amanda Kessel, Noora Tulus, Ronja Savolainen, Maja Nylen Persson, Daniela Pejsova, Anna Meixner, and NCAA stars with national team experience like Hanna Bilka and Cayla Barnes, it's certainly possible. Kessel would be the only question mark on this list as it's unsure what her training has looked like since leaving the game. But she will certainly be an offensive threat.